Down to Business With This Backyard Office

Here’s an inspiring story about a customer who took his Tuff Shed building and made it into a truly special home office.

John, a former publisher, and now Senior Staff Author for Lynda.com was looking for a creative space that was personal, professional, and inspiring. “The work I do is mostly cerebral,” said John. “Having a custom home office like this is great. It’s a wonderful place to work.”
John started with his own blueprints and approached a contractor to build his backyard office. Surprisingly, the contractor recommended buying a Tuff Shed, and converting it to an office. Intrigued, John met with a Tuff Shed Sales and Design Consultant. After going through his options, John chose a Tuff Shed Pro Tall Ranch as the basis for his building. John’s list of ‘must-haves’ for this building kept getting longer, but the answer from Tuff Shed was always the same. “Great, we can do that,” his sales consultant would say.

“Tuff Shed was very willing to work with me and customize my building,” added John. “Their flexibility made my experience delightful.”

John said the Tuff Shed building was installed in a single day and was the quickest part of the entire project. After that, he went straight into adding custom exterior and interior finishes, adding electrical, insulation, drywall, exterior stucco, lighting, and gutters to his backyard office.

John was able to have his basic office up and running within a month, and over the following year he would add even more personal touches, leaving him with what he describes as a “Cadillac job.” When all was said and done, John’s custom studio set him back approximately $15,000. “That adds up to about 15 months’ rent in commercial space, which for me is a great deal, because I’ll be here way longer than that.”

For a man who spends 45-50 hours a week working at home, John wanted more than a shed, he wanted something personal, and that’s exactly what we helped him achieve.

This is a great idea for adding a private place to your home to get some work done! My husband’s parents installed a huge shed in their backyard this summer, but there is no electricity in it. If they hired an electrical contractor to run electricity to the shed, it could be a great office like this one.

All our sheds come standard with a drip edge. We can, and have, placed gutters for customers. Gutters are an upgrade, and prices are based on the local area. The best thing to do is contact your local Tuff Shed retail store, and work with the design consultant to get you a quote for the building you want. Best.

Hi Maria, to answer all your questions we recommend speaking with your local team. They’ll be able to assist you further and give you the most accurate information for your local building regulations. You can find the location nearest you at our locations page, here: http://www.tuffshed.com/locate/

Very interesting design. I’m looking to build something similar here in New Jersey. Curious: what is the interior size of this particular unit? And does one need a construction permit? Does the 15k quoted here include the laying of concrete foundation? Thanks in advance.